Abstract Coarse woody debris (CWD) is a major component of the ecosystem carbon (C) balance. The estimation of C storage in CWD is an important element of the German greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting of forests, which is mainly based on the German National Forest Inventory. The deadwood C stock is calculated based on deadwood volume and, according to deadwood density (DD) and carbon concentration (CC) for each decay class (DC). Yet, the data basis of DD and CC per DC for above-ground CWD is still insufficient since there are very few country-specific measurements. Values from literature provide a first approximation for national-level estimates. However, different DC systems often prevent the use of DD and CC of other countries. Therefore, we developed a conversion method for harmonization of these data with the German four-class system. Following this, we conducted a meta-analysis to calculate mean DD and CC values for the main Central European tree species and to assess their variation. Significantly lower DDs were observed with increasing DC, except for beech between DC 3 and 4. Compared to spruce and pine, DD of beech CWD was significantly higher, overall as well as in DC 1 and 2. Species became similar in DD in advanced decay stages. A maximum of 92% of the variation in DD could be explained mainly by DC, CWD type, tree species and their interaction. DD values were mostly higher than current values in GHG reporting. CC increased with increasing DC in spruce and pine and was higher than in beech CWD, where no variation was detected. About 86% of the variation in CC could be explained mainly by DC, tree species and their interactive effect. The default value of 50% employed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change might under- (spruce, pine) and/or overestimate (spruce, pine, beech) the real CC depending on DC by up to 3.4 (pine) and/or 4.2% (beech). Based on our calculated mean DD and CC values, the accuracy of C stock assessment in deadwood as part of the GHG reporting for Germany can be substantially improved.
Anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are dramatically influencing the environment, and research is strongly committed to proposing alternatives, mainly based on renewable energy sources. Low GHG electricity production from renewables is well established but issues of grid balancing are limiting their application. Energy storage is a key topic for the further deployment of renewable energy production. Besides batteries and other types of electrical storage, electrofuels and bioderived fuels may offer suitable alternatives in some specific scenarios. This Special Issue includes contributions on the energy conversion technologies and use, energy storage, technologies integration, e-fuels, and pilot and large-scale applications.
This study presents the technical design and assessment of a novel biorefinery concept using biogas from anaerobic digestion of agricultural residues and green hydrogen to produce liquefied renewable methane as the primary product and nutrient-rich solid and liquid fertilizers as secondary products. A biorefinery was simulated using Aspen Plus® V10 based on the results of experimental studies supplemented by literature, converting 3.22 t of wheat straw (14.28 MW) and 3.22 t of cattle manure (1.38 MW) annually. The material biomass utilization efficiency was 18.3 %, and the energetic biomass utilization efficiency was 16.9 %. The energy conversion efficiency for the liquefied renewable methane is 33.4 % and for the entire biorefinery, including solid and liquid fertilizer production, is 52.8 %. The assessment shows specific production costs of 2,179 EUR/t and 20.3 g CO2‑eq. per MJ greenhouse gas emissions for the liquefied renewable methane.
Most European countries have signed the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change and its Kyoto Protocol. Because the European Union is a party to the convention just like the individual countries, there is a need for harmonizing emissions reporting. This specifically applies to the Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry sector, for which harmonized reporting is complex and generally challenging. For example, parties use a variety of different methods for estimating emissions and removals, ranging from application of default factors to advanced methods adapted to national circumstances, such as ongoing field inventories. In this study, we demonstrate that without harmonization, national definitions and methods lead to inconsistent estimates. Based on case studies in Finland, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, and Sweden, we conclude that common reference definitions and country-specific bridges are means to harmonize the estimates and make greenhouse gas reporting from forests comparable across countries.
Deadwood is an important part of the forest ecosystem. The quantity available depends on the rates of accumulation and of decomposition. A comprehensive pool of data regarding the deadwood stock for Germany is collected by the German national forest inventory. Moreover, the Projection Modelling of Forest Development and Timber Harvesting Potential (WEHAM) adds other important parameters such as growth rates and potential roundwood availability. Using this data, scenarios for the accumulation of deadwood were developed. For the calculation of deadwood decomposition, independent of tree species, a decay constant k = 0.054 was derived for the whole of Germany. The study shows that a long-term stop in timber harvesting in Germany, assuming the proportions of different tree species remained constant, would lead to a saturation of deadwood with a total of 184 m3/ha. If the German forest presented a natural composition of tree species, a deadwood stock of 150 m3/ha at most could be accumulated. Based on these scenarios, rates of accumulation of total dead-wood and of deadwood of large diameter can be calculated taking into account the deadwood stock levels desired and the time span involved. It has been shown that 7.3% of the WEHAM potential roundwood availability must remain in the forest per year if the quantity of deadwood is to be maintained at 11.5 m3/ha. If an increase in the accumulation of deadwood is to be aimed for, the annual input rate together with the desired deadwood stocks are increasingly influenced by the time span involved. Thus shorter time spans with greater stocks of deadwood to be achieved make it possible to approach the WEHAM potential roundwood availability. The results presented in this paper should assist in decision-making concerning stocks of deadwood to be aimed for in the forest and, in the future, serve as a basis for the selection, evaluation and discussion of quantities of dead-wood to be achieved.
